In October 2022, at the MCine de Trianon, the Arc-En-Ciel collective (CAEC) organized a screening of the short film Farewell to Xulhazin the presence of its Dutch director Larissa Korporaal. A poignant, courageous and poetic tale: the true story of Bengali Xulhaz Mannan, murdered in 2016 for being an openly gay man! “Xulhaz was filled with kindness, compassion and humor (…) loved by everyone he met,” confided the filmmaker, in tribute to her close friend and human rights defender who would have turned 46.
The session was part of the Stonewall Resource Center, a CAEC project launched on June 28 and funded by the United States. This thematic documentation space, located at the collective’s premises on Darwin avenue in Quatre Bornes, is dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community and its defenders; to those who campaign for equality of all genders and sexual orientations.
CAEC’s plans include the official opening next month, at the same address, of a place that could well be called “LGBTQIA+ friendly café by the CAEC”. Softly launched this month, the establishment, which will offer coffee to everyone who walks through the door until February 10, 2023, is a big first in Mauritius! Convivial, reassuring and safe for the LGBTQIA+ community, like its nerve center, the venue will welcome the public from Monday to Saturday, from 11am to 5pm, and will also help to raise awareness of the Stonewall Resource Center, where the film Farewell to Xulhaz.
